Poland Freezes Controversial Holocaust Law; Will Discuss with Israel

Polish officials are scheduled to arrive in Jerusalem in an attempt to attain a common ground on Poland’s controversial Holocaust law.

The law won’t be enforced until it is reviewed by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal, stated Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro in an interview with Polish media.

The widely questioned law made it illegal to insinuate that Poland was responsible for any war crimes that occurred during the Holocaust. The maximum punishment that can be issued in this legislation is a prison sentence of 3 years.

Some U.S. officials feared for the freedom of speech in Poland, after Polish President Andrzej Duda approved the bill.

“The United States is disappointed that the President of Poland has signed legislation that would impose criminal penalties for attributing Nazi crimes to the Polish state,” said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

The Jewish-American Ruderman Family Foundation removed their video featuring people protesting the law by saying “Polish Holocaust,” after being contacted by the Polish Jewish community.

Assuming that discussions between Israeli and Polish officials will lead to the Constitutional Tribunal rejecting the law, the Foundation’s President, Jay Ruderman, congratulated “the Polish government for their decision not to criminalize discussion and criticism of the involvement of Poles in the Holocaust.”

Ruderman went on to say, “Poland has taken the right decision not to alienate the Jewish people who lost six million of our relatives in the Holocaust.”